A rare Islamic coin that dates from the first Dynasty of Islam in AD723 was sold at auction for £3.72 million yesterday. The Islamic Umayyad dinar, one of only a dozen known to exist, bears a short line of text: “Ma’din Amir al-Mu’minin bi’l-Hijaz”, which means “Mine of the Commander of the Faithful in the Hijaz”. The coin, which is about the size of a modern £1, is thought to have been owned by several Caliphs and is also said to have been given to a former owner by Prophet Muhammad himself. It is one of the first to name a location in Saudi Arabia and is the earliest from the Gulf region as a whole. The gold coin was bought by an anonymous telephone…

Source: The Times October 25, 2019 00:00 UTC